Ontario Student Opportunity Grant (OSOG)

Purpose

The Ontario Student Opportunity Grant (OSOG) is available to help students reduce their Canada-Ontario Integrated Student Loan (COISL) debt. If you are eligible for OSOG, your grant will be applied directly to your outstanding COISL debt. Your actual grant is not awarded until at least 60 days after your latest study period end date for the 2016-17 academic year.

Amount of Aid

The amount of OSOG awarded is based on both the total amount of COISL you were eligible to receive as well as the number of your study terms in the 2016-17 academic year (see below).

OSOG Aid Amounts

Total Study Period Length	Number of terms for OSOG purposes	Limit to your 2016-17 repayable debt to:
Less than 12 weeks	0	• Not eligible for OSOG; • No reduction to COISL repayable amount
12 to 20 weeks in length	1 term	• Not eligible for OSOG; • No reduction to COISL repayable amount
21 to 40 weeks in length	2 terms	$7,500 in repayable COISL for the academic year
41 to 52 weeks in length	3 terms	$11,250 in repayable COISL for the academic year

Who Can Get This Aid

You must meet the eligibility requirements and qualify for funding through the 2016-2017 OSAP Application for Full-Time Students in order to be considered for this grant. In addition, you must also meet the following requirements for the 2016-2017 academic year:

• You received a Canada-Ontario Integrated Student Loan (COISL);
• You were enrolled in a full-time program for a total of two or more terms (21 to 52 weeks in total); and
• You completed the study period(s) included in your OSAP full-time funding assessment and did not drop below a full-time course load.
• You are entitled to and received COISL(s) that exceeded:
• $7,500 if your total study period was two terms for the academic year, or
• $11,250 if your total study period was three terms for the academic year.

How to Apply

You are automatically considered when you submit a 2016-2017 OSAP Application for Full-Time Students.

Deadlines

The deadlines for the 2016-2017 OSAP Application for Full-Time Students are as follows:

Application Deadline

Your application must be received by your financial aid office no later than 60 days before the end of your study period.

Documentation Deadline*

All required documents must be received by your financial aid office no later than 40 days before the end of your study period.

Note: Documents received after your deadline date will not be considered.

*See also, Deadlines for Income Verification to be Completed, below.

Review Deadline*

Any review request must be received no later than 40 days before the end of your study period.

* See also, Deadlines: OSOG Reviews, below.

When Your OSOG Entitlement is Calculated

An estimate of your OSOG entitlement is calculated when you submit your online OSAP Application for Full-Time Students. Your actual OSOG entitlement is not calculated until at least 60 days after your latest study period end date for the 2016-2017 academic year.

Income Verification Requirement

All income reported on your OSAP Application for Full-Time Students, which includes your income as well as income reported by your parent(s) and/or spouse (as applicable) must be verified with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) before your actual OSOG entitlement can be calculated and issued.

Results from the CRA income verification process may impact your eligibility for this grant if any of this income information is not accurately reported on your application or if the income verification process wasn’t completed (e.g. tax returns weren’t filed with the CRA, no match could be found to the CRA information). If any of the income listed was from foreign sources, additional documentation may be required (see below).

Deadline for Income Verification to be Completed

For the 2016-2017 academic year, all income reported on your OSAP Application(s) for Full-Time Students must be verified by July 31, 2023. It is your responsibility to ensure that all income associated with your applications has been verified by that date in order to be considered for OSOG.

You can log into the OSAP website at any time to check the verification status of all income provided on your OSAP Application for Full-Time Students.

Parental Income from Foreign and/or Non-Taxable Sources

If your parent(s) derive their income from outside of Canada or have income not reported to the CRA, you may be required to provide a completed 2016-2017 Parent(s) Income Verification: Foreign and/or Non-Taxable Income form as part of the required documentation for your full-time OSAP application. This information will also be used for OSOG eligibility purposes.

If you did not have to provide the 2016-2017 Parent(s) Income Verification: Foreign and/or Non-Taxable Income form with your full-time OSAP application, you will have to provide it so your eligibility for OSOG can be determined.

How You Get Your Aid

OSOG is not paid directly to you. If you are eligible, your grant will be sent directly to the National Student Loans Service Centre to pay down your COISL.

How to Find Out the Amount of Your Aid

Details about the status of your OSOG entitlement are available online as part of the status information for your OSAP Application for Full-Time Students.

Log into the OSAP website to see the current status of your application as well as your OSOG eligibility status.

How a Change to Your Situation Affects Your Eligibility

You will be ineligible for OSOG if you:

• Reduce your course load to part-time (less than 60 percent of a full course load or less than 40 per cent if you are a student who self-identifies as having a permanent disability);
• Withdraw from your full-time program;
• Are enrolled in a one-term program (less than 21 weeks) or have completed only one term of your program;
• Have defaulted on a student loan(s);
• Have been reassessed and your loan entitlement has been reduced to less than $7,500 for a two-term academic year or $11,250 for a three-term academic year; and/or
• Become ineligible to receive further assistance through OSAP.

OSOG Review Options

Your eligibility for OSOG can be re-considered if you did not complete your 2016-17 academic year for either of the reasons listed below. If you feel that you meet the criteria to have your OSOG eligibility re-considered, contact your financial aid office for complete details, including the documents you would have to provide to support your review request.

Deadline: OSOG Reviews

If you are planning to request an OSOG review, it is recommended that you do it as soon as possible so that you are able to provide all the necessary documentation.

For the 2016-2017 academic year, any OSOG review request must be received by your financial aid office no later than July 31, 2023. Requests received after that date will not be considered.

OSOG Review: Withdrawal Due to Medical Issues

You may be eligible for OSOG under a review if you withdrew from one or more academic terms because of a serious medical condition, medical emergency, or because you were hospitalized for an extended period and:

• weren’t able to attend or carry out the activities required to fulfil the course requirements in that term, and
• couldn’t reasonably have been expected to complete the term.

Medical conditions or medical emergencies relating to your child or another family member may also be considered if documentation is provided showing that you had to withdraw from studies to provide full-time care for the individual.

OSOG Review: Successful Appeal of Academic Expulsion

You may be eligible for OSOG under a review if you were expelled from one or more academic terms during the academic year before completing the term and all of the following apply:

• You appealed the expulsion and an authorized appeal board granted your appeal.
• The length of your expulsion period did not reasonably allow you to attend or carry out the activities required to meet the program requirements of the term.
• You could not have been reasonably expected to complete the term and, as a result, would have to repeat the term lost in the following academic year.